Environmental and social responsibility (ESR)

Our role is to support all our clients in their environmental and social transition and offer financing, particularly for large economic stakeholders. 

Karen Degouve, Head of Sustainable Business Development in the ESR department at Natixis

A network of close to 200 correspondents coordinate ESR efforts for all our business lines and support functions worldwide, including in particular.

Financing social transformation

Major innovations, such as the Green Weighting Factor and the increasing incorporation of ESG criteria into the assets we manage, enhance our position as a forerunning sustainable finance company.

We draw on the framework set out in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Principles for responsible banking

The Groupe BPCE and Natixis signed the Principles for Responsible Banking and are committed to strategically aligning their activities with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement.

Socially Responsible Investment (SRI)

With the signature of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), environmental, social and governance criteria (ESG) are now incorporated across all Natixis Investment Managers’ (Natixis IM) asset management affiliates, and are also included in Natixis Assurances’ investment policy. 

 

Natixis Investment Managers offers three approaches to applying ESG criteria:

• Responsible investment: inclusion of ESG criteria in research, without these criteria having a systematic impact on decision-making and investment strategies, and implementation of an active shareholding policy;
• Sustainable investment: the investment strategy is based on ESG issues, aiming to align values, financial ouperformance or societal impact through investment;
• Impact investing: strategy that addresses societal challenges such as those defined by the United Nations sustainable development Goals.

Find out more about Natixis Investment Managers' affiliates.

Social impact investment

Natixis is a pioneer and No.1 in social impact funds* in France with €1.19 billion in social impact assets managed by Mirova.  

Mirova was the first company to launch a so-called 90/10 social impact fund in 1994 with Insertion Emplois Dynamique (IED) devoted to creating jobs in France: the social impact portion (10%) invests in solidarity structures in France in cooperation with France Active, while the equity portion (90%) invests over three years in listed companies with strong job creation momentum in France. This fund was awarded the "Relance" label launched in October 2020 by the French Treasury. With €820 million under management at the end of September 2020, it is the largest fund to have received this label.

Read more about Mirova’s social impact funds.

Natixis is leader on the responsible employee savings market in France, with 25,4% of assets managed by Natixis Intérepargne devoted to SRI and to social impact savings. 

* Source Finansol

 As at 31/12/2020

Social impact financing

Our social impact solutions, comprising financing, bond issues and structured products, serve to finance:

• Green and social projects: essential infrastructure such as access to drinking water and vital services such as education, and preserving and developing employment via sustainable bonds, social bonds, green loans,
• Companies’ general funding needs when they pledge to comply with ESG criteria i.e. sustainability-linked bonds, sustainability-linked loans,
• Sovereign and local authority budgets.

Financing the energy transition and combating climate change

Natixis was named “Most Innovative Investment Bank for Climate & Sustainability” by The Banker*, applauding our efforts to combat climate change and work to support the energy transition. 

* 2018 award

Protecting natural capital

Biodiversity and natural capital are crucial in the economy’s running, and vital to a number of services in the ecosystem, such as food and medical resources, while also reducing pollution. It is essential to preserve these ecosystems’ resilience and safeguard their ability to regenerate, particularly as we face the challenges resulting from climate change.

Managing environmental and social risks

Our comprehensive approach to environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks involves all business lines, ESR and control functions. It particularly includes the development and implementation of ESR policies across the most sensitive sectors, as we assess and monitor ESG risks for both transactions and counterparties.  

We strive on a daily basis to curb our environmental footprint, support community and accompany our company’s transformation, as our staff are all mobilized to meet these challenges

Cécile Tricon-Bossard, Chief Human Resources Officer at Natixis